In Contention

Tag: Razzie Awards

  • Razzies aim typically low

    The Golden Raspberry (aka Razzie) Awards irritate me on an annual basis, largely because they’re such a joyless, unimaginative and, worst of all, cowardly execution of a neat idea: singling out the worst cinematic achievements of the year for a bit of a ribbing.

    Except they aren’t about genuinely failed artistry nearly as much as they are about piling on whichever easy celebrity targets happened to have a film out in the past 12 months. They’re intended as a bit of fun, obviously, but how fun is it really to beat up on tween idols like Miley Cyrus and the “Twilight” team? “The Expendables” isn’t that ineptly directed — but hey, it’s Sly, so it must be bad!

    Wouldn’t it be more subversive to aim at some higher targets who flubbed in 2010? (You’d think a “Worst Use of 3D” award would have been invented for “Alice in Wonderland,” but no — works from prestige directors are above the law here, apparently.)

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  • Sandra Bullock accepts her Razzie Award for Worst Actress

    Well, she said she would. (Video footage of her terrific acceptance speech after the cut.)

    Sandra Bullock Sandra Bullock

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  • WEEKLY WRAP: Oscar nomination week

    Anne Hathaway and Tom Sherak announcing the 2009 Academy Award nominations• Did you hear? The 2009 Academy Award nominations were announced. “The Hurt Locker” and “Avatar” led the pack.

    • Days before, Kathryn Bigelow nabbed the Directors’ Guild Award — the first woman ever to do so.

    • Back to the Oscars, we collected reaction statements from 44 of this year’s nominees.

    • I rounded up some of the most pleasant surprises in the nominations, as well as the most unwelcome snubs.

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  • ‘Transformers,’ ‘Lost’ lead Razzie nods

    Transformers: Revenge of the FallenI don’t really have much time for the Razzie Awards, since I think they’re a pretty lazy execution of a great idea. By all means single out the year’s artistic underachievers for censure, but why pick such easy targets as Miley Cyrus and the Jonas Brothers?

    If I ran the Razzies, I’d use them to reprimand the really embarrassing projects that fell way short of expectations and/or potential. Pound for pound, is “All About Steve” really a worse film than “Amelia,” which escaped humiliation by virtue of its prestige? Call it schadenfreude if you will, but I’d take more pleasure in the Razzies if they aimed a little higher.

    Anyway, for those of you who enjoy them, this year’s noms are after the cut. The most obvious talking point is the Worst Actress mention for Sandra Bullock. No, Streepoholics, it doesn’t damage her Oscar chances.

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  • WEEKLY WRAP: Oscar nomination week

    • In case you’ve just emerged from a coma or something, the nominations for the 81st annual Academy Awards were unveiled.

    • And it’s fair to say we weren’t impressed. At all.

    • OK, maybe a little impressed.

    • Amid the chaos, Kris took a stab at what/who we should expect to emerge victorious on Oscar night.

    • With the rise of “The Reader” the week’s big story, Tech Support presciently chatted with the film’s craftsmen.

    • Meanwhile, scripter Sir David Hare told the film’s critics where to get off.

    • This week’s Off the Carpet column laid out our final (and, as it turned out, slightly off-target) predictions.

    • You probably didn’t notice, but the Razzie Awards did their thing as usual.

    • “WALL-E” picked up what was to be its last Best Picture gong of the season.

    • Ahead of the nominations, yours truly filled out his own imaginary ballot. Suffice to say, there was little overlap.

    • The Visual Effects Society announced their nominees, showing “The Dark Knight” surprisingly little love.

    • Reflections on how the Academy’s top award has fared this decade.

    • Finally, amid this week’s Oscar hysteria, Sundance buzz suggests Carey Mulligan could be one to watch for next year’s derby.

  • ‘Love Guru’ not so loved

    I must admit I feel pretty proud of myself: the Razzie nominations have been revealed, and I have not seen a single one of their Worst Picture nominees. Not one.

    Not Paris Hilton vehicle “The Hottie and the Nottie” — uh, did anyone? Not the latest nail in Shyamalan’s career coffin, “The Happening,” though I admit I came close. Not “In the Name of the King: A Dungeon Siege Tale,” which I must confess I haven’t heard of here in the UK. And certainly not Mike Myers’ “The Love Guru,” which leads the field with 7 nods. (The film’s “American Idol” promo spots were traumatic enough.)

    I find myself a little bored with the Razzies lately… it’s not much fun to pick on films that, for the most part, nobody saw. Also, singling out films like “The Hottie and the Nottie” seems like a futile exercise when they never had any intention of being good in the first place. Far more rewarding, I think, is when they celebrate (so to speak) high-profile, high-stakes projects that failed miserably. “Striptease,” for example. “Catwoman.” “The Postman.”

    But does anyone really care whether Jenny McCarthy is deemed marginally worse than Carmen Electra? If you do, feast your eyes on the nomination list below. (But hey, good call on Pierce Brosnan, guys.)

    Worst Picture
    “Disaster Movie” and “Meet the Spartans”
    “The Happening”
    “The Hottie & the Nottie”
    “In the Name of the King: A Dungeon Siege Tale”
    “The Love Guru”

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